A New Day
by Loopstagirl
Summary: The thoughts and feelings of a certain warlock in knowing he has to leave Ealdor and travel to somewhere where his very existence could get him killed. One-shot.


**A very dear friend gave me the idea for this, if they happen to be reading it, they know precisely who they are! I was panicking over starting uni and moving away from home, so they told me to write about it to let my feelings out. So here is a little one shot based on what Merlin must have been going through having to leave Ealdor.**

**Please, please, _please, _review!**

**I own nothing, all rights and characters blah blah blah belong to the BBC.**

"_I'm sorry, I'm going to need you to leave."_

"_Need you to leave."_

"_You…leave."_

"_LEAVE!"_

Bolting upright with a muffled gasp, Merlin's breaths came quick and shallow as he stared about the hut he called home, the only home he had ever known. _Not any more,_ a small voice commented snidely in his head, but the young man pushed it aside aggressively as he leant against the wall, shakily pushing his hair out of his eyes. As his breathing returned to normal, Merlin found his eyes involuntarily drawn to where his mother lay sleeping peacefully. He had been angry at her earlier, no, he had been beyond that, but now, watching her frown in distress in her sleep before she thankfully rolled over, shielding herself from her son's gaze, Merlin knew deep down she was only trying to do what was best for him, for the village.

Catching the water had just come so naturally to him. His mother had spent a lot of time and effort carrying it up from the river, and Merlin, being the clumsy boy that he was, managed to catch it with his elbow whilst using wild gestures to explain something to Will. Just with a mere flash of his eyes, the water was saved and the two boys had tried to resume talking. The sudden gasp of horror, however, had revealed Hunith had seen the whole thing. Whilst that wasn't a problem, she had grown used to her son doing the impossible since before he could talk, it was the fact he had done it in front of Will. And the other boy hadn't so much as blinked. Meaning he already knew.

Sending Will home, mother and son had then had a somewhat heated discussion on the importance of privacy. In a way, Hunith had known something like this was bound to happen at some point, Merlin was just like any other young man, he had a need to release some things. And part of her wondered whether Will knowing was such a bad thing, the two boys had been inseparable since before she could remember. But the village was under constant threat of attacks from raiders, and one thing she was sure about, was that Will would do anything to save the village. Even if it meant betraying his closest friend.

And so she had made the hardest decision of her life. Telling Merlin she wanted him to learn how to control his gifts, Hunith had informed her son she was sending him to Camelot, he could stay with his uncle whilst he learnt the importance of hiding who he was. She knew the risk, knew he would only have to mention the word magic and he could be executed, but she also knew that whilst her boy was clumsy, he was no idiot. He wouldn't let that happen.

It was only now, gazing over at his mother's sleeping back that Merlin fully understood what she was asking him to do. Part of him wanted to leave now, in the middle of the night and so to avoid the stares of the villagers. He knew they were aware there was something different about him, but they never had discovered what it was. No one had ever discovered, Will had only found out because Merlin was sick of hiding who he was and so had "accidentally" let something slip. He was regretting it now, for once he left the safety of Ealdor, there was no knowing what the world held for him.

Slowly pulling himself to his feet, Merlin softly walked across the room, his feet knowing the darkened route without him having to think about it. It was something he had done all of his life, nearly always forgetting to do something before he went to sleep and nearly always waking up at some crazy time in the middle of the night, tiptoeing around his mother in order to do it. Pouring himself pitcher of water, Merlin silently lifted the latch on the door to their home and slipped out into the night air.

Within seconds, he was in his favourite place, balanced somewhat precariously up a tree. The branch was a thick, strong one, and despite his position, Merlin leant casually back against the trunk, knowing he would not fall. He had been sitting up this tree for as long as he could remember, knowing automatically which positions would make him wobble, which would allow him to sit in comfort and which would cause him to fall. As the last thought crossed his mind, Merlin smiled fondly at the memories of his mother fussing around his bruised knees from his latest trip, absentmindedly flashing his eyes and causing the pitcher to float up from the ground where he had left it, not spilling a drop. That was more than Merlin had managed in carrying it over.

Taking a sip, the young warlock then rested his chin atop of the pitcher and sighed deeply. He was leaving Ealdor. He was leaving his home, his mother, his friends, to head for a place where his very existent could get him killed. Angrily brushing away the tears that were threatening to fall, Merlin instead turned his gaze towards the heavens, almost burning a hole through the light cloud covering with the weight of his stare. And with a slightly bitter smile, he knew that unlike other people, he could potentially make it happen, he had that much power at his disposal.

Time flew by as Merlin sat in his tree and thought. He couldn't say what he was even thinking about, everything that had ever bothered him all of a sudden seemed a big deal on the eve before he left. He still had so many things to do here…. Shaking himself from his musings, Merlin slipped down from the tree, wriggling uncomfortably as his body protested to spending too much time in the same position. With a somewhat startled glance, he could see the sky was beginning to lighten, dawn had arrived. The first day of the rest of his life was here. Taking a deep breath, Merlin set off back across the field, knowing his mother would most likely already be up. Remembering how he had taken the news he must leave the night before, Merlin quickened his pace, worried she would think he had done something stupid.

He reached the house in what was a new record for him, which in itself was quite a considerable feat when taken into account how many times he had been forced to sprint it in the past, knowing he was late home. He had been right in thinking his mother was already up, and leaning his lanky frame against the door post, Merlin watched her silently as she fussed around, putting more and more things in his half full pack before taking it out again, uncertain.

"Mother."

"Oh, Merlin, you scared me. Have you had any sleep?" Crossing into the house, Merlin placed his pitcher back on the table, absently running his hand through his hair.

"A little," he lied, turning away so she wouldn't see the bags under his eyes, nor the slight redness around the rims, a clear sign he had been crying. Merlin hated the fact every time he shed even a single tear, his face gave it away for hours to come.

"Well, I've finished packing. You are… you are good to go, Merlin." Ignoring the tremor in her voice, Merlin nodded somewhat curtly, trying to ignore the lump in his throat. He couldn't break down now, his mother once more needed him to be strong. He had always had to be strong for her, raising a warlock, and a powerful one at that, in secret had been hard on them both.

"I best be off then," Merlin responded, somewhat tonelessly as he made to move across the room to fetch his now full pack. Before he had gone half way, however, a hand latched gently onto his arm, drawing the youth around. Searching his face anxiously, Hunith suddenly enveloped her son in a strong embrace.

"This isn't forever, Merlin, you can be back soon. Just see how it goes."

"I know," Merlin responded, his tone strangely light. "It'll be fine, you'll see. I can help Gaius with whatever it is he does, give it a month and then I'll be home." Knowing his voice sounded as fake to Hunith as it did to him, Merlin cleared his throat self consciously, moving away from his mother and picking up his pack. Hefting it onto his shoulders, the warlock took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was about to come and walked out of the door, his head held high.

He had only made it halfway down the main road that lead into the village when a voice called him back. Glancing over his shoulder, Merlin spun back around, allowing his mother to once more throw herself into his arms, tears running down her cheeks.

"Here…." She sobbed, pressing something into his hand. Staring at it in wonder, Merlin allowed his mother to attach the piece of cord around his wrist. They both knew what it signified, Merlin had made it with his magic by accident when he was nothing more than a child, and in shock, his mother had made him swear he would tell no one about it. The cord would serve as a reminder of what was at stake when he was in Camelot.

"Thank you," Merlin whispered, suddenly smiling. He had a piece of home with him, something that had meaning to him and him alone. And whilst he was wearing the cord, he would never forget who he was nor where he came from. Pressing a kiss onto her son's head, Hunith stood back, smiling with pride as Merlin once more walked off into the forest. She had seen the change in his posture, knew that her son was indeed going to be fine, any feelings of worry or fright had just been left behind.

As the sun rose properly, Merlin picked his way through the trees. It was not just the beginning of a new morning, but of a new day, a new era for the warlock. Little did he know as he climbed unsteadily over an exposed tree root quite what destiny had in mind.

**The end!**

**Hope you enjoyed it, it was a little angsty, but we all know there is a happy ending to it really! Please review!**


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